Building Opportunityfor Boys and Menof Color

Save the Date:Thursday, October 30The 2014 NPC community conference is part of Boys and Men of Color Week in Milwaukee.The conference will build and strengthen the capacity of local nonprofits to improve opportunities for boys and men of color.Click here for details.

Jeff Roman was working in teen pregnancy prevention when he noticed something peculiar: program-wise, half the equation was missing.He saw multiple groups focusing on the health of young women, but none for young men, particularly men of color.

That gap, he said, is where the conversation started that led him to where he is today, at a time when the challenges facing men and boys of color are taking the national stage.

A master facilitator, Roman in many ways is a “glue that holds together” Milwaukee nonprofits, foundations, governmental groups and grassroots agencies that work with boys and men of color. He is a lead organizer and spokesperson for the first-ever Boys and Men of Color Week in Milwaukee October 26-November 1 (see sidebar).

“What can we do together,” he asks, “to really get to bigger, scalable impact?”

Boys and Men of Color Week coincides with President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative, which focuses on providing opportunities for boys and men of color across the country.

“The stars have aligned,” Roman said, “nationally and federally.”

The goal for the week is to unite every group and person working for men and boys of color in Milwaukee to create a coordinated effort.

The starting point, Roman said, will be gathering data, something the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee will assist with.

From there, he said, it’s up to the community to develop a shared vision, and combine it with the data to “create a roadmap for success in the future.”

Part of the solution is shifting the focus from the problems to the possibility of what can be.

Roman says that means looking at a man of color and seeing the potential of what he can achieve. Or looking at a Black man who has achieved all his goals and identifying to scale the causes of his success, while examining and addressing those that hinder others from reaching the same.

“What was different in his life,” he asks, “than that other young man who maybe took another path?”

“Looking at the resilience,” as Roman said, “while acknowledging the structural and personal barriers that impede success or achievement.”

There’s no question: there is no quick fix or single solution to the problems faced by men and boys of color, Roman said. The obstacles were created over multiple generations, so an overnight fix is out of the question.

But organizing is the first step, and the solution is worth the effort.

“This is worthwhile, lengthy work that is going to take years and years to accomplish,” Roman said, “but it can be accomplished.”

Part of what makes it worthwhile is that it has the potential to affect more than just Milwaukee.

“We will be the model for the country,” he said, “and that’s the opportunity.”

Such a great advocacy! Glad to know someone is standing up for our men and boys of color who usually face profound challenges in life wherever they maybe. This kind of programs would be of big help to them to be successful in the future.